Public engagement efforts around the Portland Monuments Projects, and the seven monuments at the core of the work, began in 2021, shortly after protests and counter-protests in Portland led to an influx of outreach from Portlanders related to these works. In the years since, the City of Portland and its partners in this work have engaged the community in a conversation about the role of monuments, memorials, and public art in telling Portland's history, as well as opportunities for current and future monuments.
The second phase of public engagement, which began in 2024 with funding from the Mellon Foundation, is ongoing. Project partners are advancing conversations that explore how these public symbols can reflect a fuller, more inclusive history and spark meaningful dialogue about the city's past, present, and future.
On this page, you'll find a snapshot of public outreach and engagement efforts from 2020 to present. Check out our calendar for a list of upcoming events presented by Portland Monuments Project partners.
Key project milestones and public outreach and engagement activities
Upcoming
Fall-Winter 2026
Portland Monuments Project Final Report to be published.
Spring 2026
York Bust exhibit at City Gallery in The Portland Building.
Winter 2025-Summer 2026
Portland State University to conduct data analysis for Portland Monuments Project Final Report.
Previous
October 2025
Promised Land departed Portland in the early afternoon and arrived in Enterprise, Oregon back with the original artists David and Lee Manuel that evening.
Portland Monuments Project partners host York Fest, a week-long celebration highlight the contributions of York the Explorer.
September 2025
Portland Monuments Project partners launch Fall/Winter public engagement and programing series exploring memory, place, and public arts.
August 2025
Restoration and repairs for the Abraham Lincoln monument are completed.
Spring-Summer 2025
Portland State University and Portland Monuments Partners develop survey and data assessment tools for phase 2 of public engagement and programming.
March 2025
Promised Land and Harvey Scott monuments are deaccessioned from the City's Public Art Collection.
February 2025
Staff Presentation to the Historic Landmarks Commission.
January 2025
Portland State University’s Regional Research Institute for Human Services releases their Portland Monuments Symposium Report of Findings that dives deeper into conversations, takeaways, and findings from the event. Across nearly 40 pages, the report reintroduces the project, provides a summary of two days-worth of conversations with the community, and goes in-depth on findings related to the project’s central questions.
Winter 2025-Winter 2026
Public Talks & Conversations continue to provide opportunities for Portlanders to share ideas about the creation of new monuments like the York Bust, the addition of interpretations to the monuments of Presidents Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Theodore Roosevelt, as well as recommendations for what happens next with the deaccessioning of Promised Land and Harvey Scott.
Summer-Fall 2024
The Office of Arts & Culture launches the Public Talks & Conversations series led by the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art and Converge 45, with support from project partners. The Public Talks & Conversations series begin with the Monuments Symposium on October 10-11, 2024.
Learn more about the Portland Monuments Symposium
May 2024
The Office of Arts & Culture announces Monument Symposium for September 2024 and decision to deaccession Harvey Scott and Promised Land monuments.
April 2024
The Office of Arts & Culture directs the Regional Arts & Culture Council to begin repairs of presidential monuments in preparation for new interpretations in fall 2024.
March 2024
Portland City Council unanimously adopts Public Monuments Review Policy on March 6, setting a national standard for public engagement, art policy, and monuments. The City of Portland also receives a partial payment from the insurance claim of $225,000/$775,000 for damaged monuments.
February 2024
The Office of Arts & Culture collaborated with the 1803 Fund, Alberta Abbey, Oregon Black Pioneers, and Oregon Historical Society to celebrate Black History Month through a community-led public conversation about York, whose monument was vandalized in 2021. The dialogue focused on enriching public education and knowledge about the experiences and contributions of Black Oregonians, especially in a state that once legally banned Black people.
Staff Presentation to the Historic Landmarks Commission.
January 2024
The City published a draft monuments policy for public comment. Feedback was collected over four weeks and incorporated into the final draft of City Code (Ordinance #16149) which was presented to City Council on February 28 and passed as amended on March 6, 2024.
Fall-Winter 2023
In partnership with the Arts Commissioner, the Office of Arts & Culture launched a public survey about the City’s monuments and expanded public engagement efforts across Portland’s newly defined districts through a series of community-focused Arts Talks.
Summer 2023
Portland City Council unanimously accepts Monuments & Memorial report from Lewis & Clark College. The Office of Arts & Culture receives a $350,000 grant from the Andrew J. Mellon Foundation to support community engagement and planning for the Portland Monuments Project. The Office of Arts & Culture announces the adoption of new interpretations and a process to begin repairs for Presidential monuments of Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Theodore Roosevelt.
Winter 2022
Overwhelming public interest and community support led Portland City Council to unanimously adopt a resolution (Resolution #37576) to fully restore and return the Thompson Elk Fountain, an iconic landmark that was damaged in 2020. The Office of Arts & Culture commissioned a report from Lewis & Clark College to provide recommendations for developing and implementing a thorough community-centered public engagement process focused on monuments and memorials. The Arts Commissioner and Mayor earmark $50,000 to support additional public engagement on monuments, specifically York.
Fall 2021
Guerrilla art installation of York is placed at Mt. Tabor and sanctioned by Portland Parks & Recreation and the Arts Commissioner. The City of Portland responded to public calls for reevaluating monuments through direct outreach with the Regional Arts & Culture Council, and by supporting a series of public engagement efforts on monuments which focused on fostering dialogue, and community engagement to determine the future of monuments in Portland. Opinions on all sides were strong, with many arguing for immediate return of the toppled monuments, many arguing against, and nuanced viewpoints in between.
Summer 2021
City leaders approved the South Park Blocks Master Plan. As part of public engagement on Portland Parks & Recreation master plan for South Parks Blocks, many comments were expressed about reconsidering the relevance and appropriateness of the Roosevelt and Lincoln statues. Native American community advisors expressed concern over the historic focus on settler culture and the European-influenced park design resulting in an erasure of Native American history and culture. They emphasized that the Roosevelt and Lincoln statues should be reconsidered and offered suggestions. At the same time, the South Park Blocks was under consideration to be included in the National Register of Historic Places. The original application would have limited the community’s ability to reconsider monuments in the park, specifically the toppled Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln statues. Thanks to public testimony about the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission, with support from City Council, recommended against nomination to the National Register until a more inclusive proposal could be put forward.
Summer 2021
The Regional Arts & Culture Council and Converge 45 develop the Prototypes exhibit focused on monuments and memorials. RACC issues a public feedback request on Portland’s monuments.
2020-2021
City Council and City Arts Program received over 300 emails or letters from 2020-2021, expressing a wide range of views, concerns, and support. Notable letters included: The Board of Trustees of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Letter to SHIPO, Renea Perry.
Summer 2020
Like many cities across the US, protests and counter-protests rippled across Portland in the summer and fall of 2020. Multiple, complex actions layered together in space and time, including social justice organizing, peaceful protest, vandalism and illegal acts, and police violence. Monuments to Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt and Harvey Scott were toppled. The Elk and Promised Land statues were removed following damage.